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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · calf · press · cap · racket · game · cell · firm

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. firm — a company
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — a phone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — in music
  11. firm — steady
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. firm — decided
  15. cap — of ice
  16. key — for a lock
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. press — newspapers
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — a lid
  22. press — to push
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com